Ring Away
by SnowShadowuser
Summary: A wacky parody of THE RING, Inuyasha style. InuKag [Rated for ‘You’re so fat’ jokes, creepy voices, and one very naked toad.] AU
1. Prologue: Kamishima

**AN:** At first, it was supposed to be a one-shot. Then I realized it was too long to be one… WAAAAY too long. And yes, I know I'm supposed to be revising my old stories and updating the new ones, but how could I resist? I'll let you decide if this fic is worth anything. (Hint: I don't.)

**Disclaimer:** I'm glad I don't own Inuyasha. My allergies would kill me. And I'm _especially _glad I don't own The Ring. I sorta-kinda want to live, if you know what I mean.

-

**Ring Away**

Prologue: Kamishima

-

Summer.

The usually warmest season of the year, occurring between spring and autumn. A period of fruition, fulfillment, happiness, or beauty. Everything a dictionary would say.

…well, Kagome didn't exactly feel **warm**. And whether if was the bus's overactive A/C or her temporary depression, no one would ever know.

Wearing the camp uniform and leaning on the window, she watched the beautiful greenery pass by with mounting anxiety. The inevitable had yet to come – not that the mad bus driver was trying to prevent it. Kagome peeked above the seat before her and stared at the obese woman.

_"Hallelujah y'all – _GET YOUR CLUNKER OFF THE ROAD, BEE-YOTCH_ – praise the lord, everybody! –_ DAMN YOU TO HELL_!"_

The kiddies screamed when the bus suddenly swerved to the right, just missing a diaper delivery truck.

The driver raised both of her hands, tipped her head back, and sang along with the Christian music. The poor children panicked as the bus continued uncontrollably on the highway, their screams feeding the driver's passion to shriek…err – _sing_ – to her almighty lord.

_"Bless the lord! Bless the lord for the LOVE he gave us!"_

Kagome, somehow ending up on the floor of the bus, shielded her virgin ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the horrible 'praising'. Oh lord, save us all.

After an unknown amount of time, they had finally reached their destination.

The 15 year-old, like all the teens, never thought she would actually rush out of the bus. Much less look forward to enter the Kamishima Campgrounds.

"Have a good vacation, y'all!"

None of the kids could respond to that, as one by one they struggled to walk out of the vehicle without bursting into tears in utter relief.

Dragging her yellow backpack behind her, Kagome wandered to the dirt path where a large stadium of sort was setup. Before anyone could sigh and release the breath they were holding in, the nearly forgotten bus slammed its door shut and ominously started its engine.

Kagome swore she heard a witch-like cackle after the bus sped off into the mountains with a screech, leaving the group in a cloud of dust.

As the coughs and the swearing subsided with the dust, someone cleared their throat on the stadium. They looked up, only to notice for the first time an old woman in her late 50's, standing there with a hump on her gnarled form. Her one good eye scrutinized the newcomers with a calculating look that freaked the living daylights out of anyone in her peripheral vision.

"Welcome," She started with an unusually smooth voice. "To Kamishima Camp."

No one said anything. No one asked if she was a pirate, what with her eye-patch and all. Behind them, a solitary ball of twigs rolled by.

"You have been welcomed, because you have been invited. Invited because you have somehow and in someway managed to do something your school councilors have quoted, _'The single most disturbing behavior ever recorded on the public sanctity of education.'_"

Kagome glared. Now that was out of line.

"For the safety of the private grounds all of you will be attending after summer, you have been brought here from each of your previous institutes. Reasons differ when it comes down to you, individually, but we will treat you and your backgrounds no differently; all of you have passed your freshman entrance assessments in flying colors… I'm sorry I cannot say the same to your behavioral records."

Every one of the teens was spiteful by now. Yes, they had all attended public high schools for their freshman year in order to be qualified and analyzed for Kamishima High, intellectually, physically, and emotionally/mentally. They were here in this damned camp because they just so happened to be lacking the grade in the latter part of the evaluation.

If you were unfit academically and/or athletically, you were automatically out. But when you had problems where it figuratively concerned the heart, you had the option of coming to a summer camp sponsored by this special school.

Well, it was more like being forced to, seeing as you were one of the few selected candidates to obtain the exclusive rights to enter the academy.

_"You can easily make it into the Ivy League if you can graduate Kamishima with a 4.0 average," _Mother had said.

_"With a full scholarship after a successful graduation, you'll be helping your family out in the long run," _The school therapist had said.

Kagome's reminiscing was cut short, as the pirate hag continued nonchalantly.

"I am Kaede, head councilor of Kamishima Camp. You will be assigned to a cabin and appointed a mock-duty in half an hour. Before then, please enjoy the scenery while you have the time."

And with that, they were left to their own devices in front of the campground entrance.

A canine howled in the distance, and a bush in the nearby woods rustled with life.

"Oh man," Kagome whimpered as she followed the mass through the gates and into the camp. She wasn't alone in doing this, however. Most of the girls were moaning and grumbling while the guys were trying to put up a front of fake bravery and irrational courage. None of them wanted to enter, but it's not like they knew the way back to the city.

Cabins that looked more like shacks were nestled in front of a small lake, and gravels lined the paths. Two (slightly dilapidated) wooden buildings, larger than a house but smaller than a gym, stood proudly behind a wilted garden.

Peachy.

"Hello, hello, hello!" A female strolled into the clearing and stretched her arms out.

Everyone stared at the woman, a figure that was clad in a tight army tank-top with a matching mini-skirt to boot. The boys were going to enjoy their summer.

"I am Yura, the head of the junior-councilor's committee, and I will be assigning you your new cabin partners! But before I let you step any closer, you'll have to go through the guards, first…" She said the last word as an afterthought and snapped her fingers. On command, a dozen men with German Shepherds stepped in. It her sing-song tone wasn't bad enough, she had the command of a small militia!

Kagome yelled in vain when her only luggage was ripped away from her grasp and thrown into the heap on the sandy ground. The dogs mounted on top of the pile and started sniffing and searching through the bags.

After half an hour of tension and shocking revelations, Kagome sat on a grassy patch with the rest of the helpless observers.

"Matchsticks, lighters, knives… ooh, a beer bottle? My, my…" Yura grinned and turned to her victims. "You're a lively bunch. However, our elders here aren't easily impressed like me… take the troublemakers away, Butch."

An unusually large man stepped forward with a stare that could stun a bullet. Shirtless, he revealed his luminous six pack and his bulking muscles. Kagome gawked when he promptly began to flex his chest muscles, his bosom forming a bulge and twitching here and there. He regarded his prey for the first few seconds then started to grin oh-so maliciously.

"Who wants a hug?" He opened his arms and gestured for a bear hug, winking at a male near the corner of the group. The ill-fated child began to sob. "Aw, are you sad? Come now, daddy will make your tears go away… No? You need a hug!"

Kagome just about curled up into a ball when this Butch lifted up not one, not two, not three, but _five_ pupils onto his shoulder, all of them squirming and screaming in agony.

As Butch carried them away into the wooden building, Yura broke the silence that came afterwards.

"Anyone who breaks the rules will be treated as such," She said with an edge unheard of. "And Butch will escort you to the detention center, where you will be held for _7 days_."

Her voice seemed to echo in the pregnant pause, the chilling words embedding itself into Kagome's head.

_Seven days…_

Yura lightened up, lifting her head and clearing away the bangs from her eyes. "Anyway, I think it's about time we get you to your cabins, hmm?" She waved her hands and the guards shuffled away with the campers' bags, their trained dogs trailing after. She pulled a pen and a clipboard from behind her back and began to walk away. "Your luggage will be sent to the detention center and searched through more thoroughly, so I suggest you follow me before we decide to set the dogs on you."

Everyone, including Kagome, got up and grudgingly did as she said.

Yura stopped in front of the first cabin and turned around. She crossed off a few things before calling out, "Katy Sweets?"

"Yeah?"

The girl who answered was a redhead, her ponytail laced with a black ribbon that hung all the way to her thighs. Her heavy mascara hid most of her green eyes, and her uniform was hand-designed to appear looser with patchworks covering her elbows and knees.

"You will be paired up with… Apple Rainer."

"Apple? What kind of a name is…Apple…?" Her sarcastic question ended with a meek disposition and her freckled face dreadfully paled. Yura had opened the door to introduce Katy's new cabin partner, who happened to be lifting a couple of enormous dumbbells at the time. She resembled Butch in a weird way, and Kagome concluded that this buxom blonde had one too many steroids for the day.

All introductions after that was a same type of shocker; Cody was partnered with a boy that leaked of an unbearable stench, Lucy was handed over to a girl who practiced something closely related to vampirism, etc, etc.

Incidentally, Kagome was the last to be paired up.

"Kagome Higurashi, hmm?" Yura raised her brow and studied her casually. "Yes, you will be bunking with a… let's see…"

Kagome held her breath. Who will it be? A bisexual pervert with a drug habit? A creepy kid with a belief that she was the goddess of all things mortal? The possibilities were endless.

"…oh… you'll be in a single cabin."

Kagome blanched. "Eh?"

"Your partner was sent to the detention center just this morning… aren't you a lucky one?"

And indeed she was.

Kagome closed the door behind her and stared at the tiny setting. A bathroom the size of a cardboard box, two beds with a comfort level of cement, and a nightstand that was supposedly the closet and vanity all in one.

"…"

Unsurprisingly, she was speechless.

-

-

-

Summer could not end any slower.

The Camp's last day of attendance was in the middle of August, and as he stood there under the sun, ignoring his garden chores, the July heat taunted and peeved him with its sweltering hot spell.

Inuyasha could care less about maintaining his not-quite-but-close-to nonexistent reputation; and he did not bother start making a new one, good or bad. Everyone here may be in his high school… and so be it if it happened to be a camp for the 'misfits' – but it was his last summer in this despicable place.

Sure, he had yet to enter senior year, but his failing grades and financial problems were stacked up against him, and sooner or later it would've eventually led to this. Tuitions, testing and exams, and not to mention the rumors surrounding his family issues were enough to drive a punk like him into a premature burial.

Sadly, circumstances aside, he wasn't given much of an option – he would quit and officially become a dropout, right before his final year in high school.

"So Bob, how did you loose your pinky?" A boy in his same age group spoke to their outdoor supervisor. "Gardening tragedy?"

The old man snorted or chuckled after briefly going over what he had asked, and stroked his left hand on his right, where the said finger used to be. His delayed reaction was a funny thing to watch.

"Oh no, my boy; it's a long story, you see. See, I was with this spunky girl in my 30's or so, fiddling with each other and all that. Her giggles were something, you know. High-pitched, it was. So I decided to stick my finger up her you-know-what and POP! I loose it in the middle of our heated playtime."

Just about all the students groaned and covered their ears before he promptly began to laugh. Now THAT was a vivid image they _never **ever**_ wanted to imagine again.

"Oh god, man, that's just wrong…sick and wrong, Bob."

"Inuyasha…"

"Dude, did you HAVE to tell us that?"

"Inuyasha…"

"Your mind isn't in the gutter… **it's under it**, like it's under the sewers, where it's with all those creepy-crawly stuff."

_"Inuyasha!"_

The teenager watching the onslaught of criticisms Bob was receiving turned around, snapping at the boy in annoyance. The preteen Shippou rolled his eyes and steadily stood where he had been for the last 5 minutes. "You got a package to deliver from the detention center. You _do _have the delivery duty this week, right?"

Inuyasha snatched the package from the boy's clasp and inspected the address. He scowled. "This is the friggin' thing I sent out last week! And the week before that!"

Shippou glanced over his shoulder and examined it with a hint of interest. "Huh, that's pretty weird… there's more than 20 postage stamps on it."

"Brazil, China, Canada, Austria, Korea… Vatican City? Malta? They all keep sending it back after adding a new shipping address on it!" Inuyasha growled.

"Well, if the postbox is so useless why don't you just open it? _I_ sure want to see what's inside…"

"Hell no! The last thing I need is loosing the free food and shelter by peeping into this thing!"

The kiddy uttered a simple 'Ha,' unimpressed. "Since when did you get so sensitive about leeching off the taxpayers?"

"Can it!"

-

-

-

Kagome's back was killing her. And even she had to wonder if it was meant literally or not.

This 'mock-duty' turned out to be some extreme workout session. They made her lug bucket-load of manures into the dead garden with the rest of the chain gang in tow, handing them over to the future seniors who would dump it all on top of the dry soil. She didn't get the point – the garden was far beyond wasted that no green thumb or miracle seed would ever hope to achieve a single blade of grass to grow.

…must've been some disciplinary lesson.

Then again…

Kagome snickered. She proved her elementary schoolmates wrong. All those years ago, when they mocked her whenever she ran more laps than anyone else in her class, or grade for that matter. Oh no, even to this day she didn't 'collapse and barf out her brains' after a long and healthy workout.

"Mm," Kagome muttered under her breath. "I gotta start lifting with my legs, though."

When she finally rested her eyes somewhere other than the ground, she saw something that was somewhat… oddly peculiar.

It was a little boy, standing on a pair of bamboo stilts. He was sneaking around a particularly isolated cabin that was settled on the edge of a small pond in the distance. Either he was the entertainment for dinner, or Mardi Gras came early this year.

"Umm," Kagome started and stared at the stilt-master. He looked hardly 10 and still had better hand-eye coordination skills than most teens her age. She had to know his secret. "Hello? Excuse me!"

Shippou squeaked when his delicate cover was blown before his very eyes. He tried to turn around, scanning the area for the moron that had ruined his sensitive operation. But suddenly twisting on a pair of stilts can get a little tricky, especially after the sun had set…

"Watch out!"

Kagome gasped when the stilts forebodingly wobbled, making a giant X as the boy stood to face her, his balance swaying while they stood without moving an inch out of each other's way.

They both thought the two of them had grazed past calamity. Then–

"What the hell's going on out here?"

Someone slammed the door open from inside the small cabin, knocking back one of Shippou's stilts into the pond. Kagome screamed when Shippou shouted "Timber!" and fell to his certain demise. The silver haired man realized what just happened and yelled out something incoherent to the two's ears, then leaping to make a heroic dive to catch the falling boy.

Kagome, who had tried to jump out of the way, tripped on the end of the stilt that was still sticking out of the pond and landed hard on her left shoulder. Inuyasha didn't see her land, thus tripping on her waist and missing Shippou by a hair. He fell right on top of Inuyasha's head, and they both crashed down on poor Kagome, who croaked out a weak "DAYAMN."

-

-

-

"Is she dead?"

Kagome felt her head beat with a very loud music… no, wait, there weren't any music on.

"Why don't you check?"

She felt an incredible pressure crush her abdominal region, knocking the wind out of her. She choked on her own spittle and raised her right hand in the air. "I'm still alive you fool…"

"Crap."

The female sat upright and felt woozy all of a sudden. "Oh… where am I?" She was on a couch in a cozy room that was pretty much empty, except for a large mat and a small TV on the opposite wall. "…was I kidnapped?"

"Eh," The little green eyed preteen hesitated to speak. "I'm Shippou, and that's Inuyasha over there. You were sort of… how do you say… squished."

Kagome blinked. "Squished… oh yeah! You guys fell on me and… hey!" She finally comprehended the situation she was in and looked around the wooden room. "The stilts… why were you on stilts?"

"Aha!" Inuyasha ganged up on the boy. "So you WERE spying on me!"

"Hey, I knew you were going to be stingy and take that package for yourself!" Shippou retorted.

Kagome waved her hands in the air. "Whoa, whoa! What package? What's going on?"

Shippou grabbed the remote controller from the armrest before Inuyasha could take it. "It was a video, wasn't it? I knew it! You didn't start it yet, did you?"

Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms and legs stubbornly. "Hey, if you want to see it that badly why don't you turn on the TV? It's probably some cheap, homemade porn or something…"

"Porn?" Kagome stared, now completely at a loss for words.

"Fine, I'll press the button!" Shippou yelled.

"Yeah, and when we get caught you take the blame too!"

"No fair!"

"Too bad!"

Somewhere in the scuffle, the two started shoving each other and the remote flew into the air.

Kagome reached out, a little nervous as she grasped the black object and drew in the item. She faced the TV and paused.

Inuyasha and Shippou immediately halted when the TV turned on and the old VCR whirled to life. They turned to Kagome and both opened their mouth to say something before she put her index finger on her lips, successfully shushing them to submission. The two turned back to the screen a little resentfully.

The three of them watched intently as the video started; the show underway.

Suddenly, the lights died and left them in terrible darkness.

"What the heck?" Shippou frowned. "Power outage?"

"Then why's the TV still on?"

Shippou and Kagome began to huddle around Inuyasha, his comments driving them to the edge of reason. He was feeling a tad be uncomfortable with this.

The screen suddenly flashed red and two white orbs glowed in the center, resembling eyes that bore into their head. Kagome and Shippou grew more anxious, and Inuyasha became even more cramped.

There was a loud cackle from the TV that was followed by the sound of a large splash. Another flash, another pair of white orbs that glowed in front of the red background.

By the end of the video, Kagome and Shippou had buried their faces into Inuyasha's arms, both of them not wanting to watch anymore of it. Inuyasha was a little unnerved himself, but more annoyed than anything. His circulation was cut off… he couldn't feel his arms anymore…

"That was the worst 7 minutes of my life," Shippou whimpered.

"I concur," Kagome sniveled.

"…" Inuyasha said.

The roof of the house began to shake, prompting the two sissies to tighten their hold on Inuyasha's arms again. Droplets of water fell on the small cabin, the drizzle attacking the wooden structure without resistance.

"Rain," Inuyasha looked up. "Shouldn't be raining… it's supposed to be dry all week."

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIING_

"What?" Kagome looked to the stool holding an old fashioned phone near the door. She hadn't seen that before. "Err… I'll get that," Her manners took over and forgot the uneasiness she had been feeling moments ago.

Inuyasha and Shippou stopped her before she took another step forward.

"What are you doing?" Shippou hissed. "Do you know how much trouble we'll get into if we're caught here? This place is strictly restricted to students!"

Kagome's jaw stung. "Now you tell me!"

The three waited for the phone to stop ringing, all of them breathing shallowly in hopes of being undetectable to an unseen force. But after the fourth, fifth… and then the sixth ring, the noise became almost unbearable to listen to.

"That's it, I'm answering it," Kagome said. "If it's one of the councilors, I'll hang up, OK?"

Before the boys could protest, she stepped forward and picked up the receiver on the seventh ring.

"Hello?"

There was no answer.

Kagome turned to her two 'companions' and shot a worried glance. "Err…"

_"Hello?"_

Kagome sucked in a handful of air and nearly passed out.

_"Is this Chinn's Seafood Restaurant?"_

She fell on her knees and bonked her head on the side of the stool.

_"I'd like to order a takeout. Do you have a menu or –"_

"THIS ISN'T CHINN'S YOU MORON!" Kagome screeched and slammed the phone down.

Shippou breathed a sigh of relief from behind her. "Thank lord, I was so s–"

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIING_

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Tell him off. Maybe he'll get it the second time."

Kagome did as exactly as he said and picked up the receiver. "YES? Are you looking for CHINN'S?" Unnerved and disturbed, she had completely forgotten her manners.

Her answer wasn't the same male voice she had heard just seconds before. No, it was a heavy breathing that was mixed with a light, feminine 'Hmm'.

"…hello?"

The voice was scratchy, and hearing her verbalize sent a shockwave down Kagome's spine. _"Seven–"_

"WHAT?" Kagome's voice broke in fear and she cut off the unknown speaker. "You're too quiet!"

_"Sev–"_

"Sorry, still can't hear you!" Kagome practically screamed into the phone and slammed it down again. This time not in anger, however, but in absolute panic. She nearly sobbed when she turned around and faced the two males, both a little wide-eyed and shocked. "She, she said…GAH!" Kagome stumbled and stuck herself behind Inuyasha's back; completely set on staying where she thought was relatively safe.

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIING_

"I'll get it," Shippou whispered and stepped up like a man. He cleared his throat before he picked up the receiver and quietly said, "Hello?"

_"Seven D–"_ Like hearing someone make contact on the chalkboard with their nails, Shippou painfully winced.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shippou just about threw the phone down.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha growled when he found himself the shield of two freaked out kids. "You're not even letting the weirdo finish and you're already freaking out!"

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIING_

"Move, I'll handle this," Inuyasha sighed and trudged to the phone. "I'll get through to this idiot."

As he picked up the receiver, he didn't greet the caller. He simply listened to the heavy breathing until someone on the other end gave a tiny 'Hmm'.

"Loser," Inuyasha spoke first.

_"Seven–"_

"What, you don't have a life so you pretend to be that creep from the Scream movie or something? You're that caller with the really gravelly voice? Huh? Huh?"

_"…seven d–"_

"You're so fat, when you jump into the ocean the whales start singing, 'We are family!'"

_"…seven d–"_

"You're so fat; when you get weighed the scale says 'To Be Continued!'"

_"…seven d–"_

"You're like a McDonald's; you're fat, you're greasy, and you only cost a buck!"

_"…"_

"HA! _I win_!" Inuyasha ended the one sided conversation and placed the phone down with a triumphant smirk. When Inuyasha faced his two amigos, the ceiling lights abruptly shook and the florescent glow danced in the shadows until it altogether woke back to animation.

"Light!" Shippou cried in relief. "Sweet, sweet, lustful light!"

"Hey."

Shippou and Kagome looked down to where Inuyasha was, who was on his knees and feeling for something behind the stool. "What're you doing?" One of them asked.

"This phone… it has no chord attached to it," Inuyasha turned to them with one brow up. "There's no outlet on the wall either…"

"Does that phone have a battery pack?"

Inuyasha examined it, and his final expression wasn't a happy one. "This thing's busted!"

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIING_

"Again?" Kagome groaned.

Inuyasha didn't think about it. He picked up the phone and answered with a rough, "What?"

_"Seven –"_

"Look, KID, how are you calling us in the first place? This phone shouldn't even be working… by the way, how did the other guy get this number?"

_"…"_

"You know – that Chinn's Restaurant guy?"

_"…must've been a mistake. You all have 7 days. Goodbye."_

"Hey, what the," Inuyasha looked down at what was in his hand with a grouchy demeanor. "She hung up on me!"

In the meantime, while Inuyasha and Kagome stood still staring at the unworkable phone, Shippou ejected the videotape from the VCR and checked out the black gizmo. "Guys…"

"What?" Kagome was the first to respond.

"There's a summary behind this thing… or something close to it, I guess."

The three gathered to huddle in front of the tape, reading the back in a hushed moment of silence and awe.

_Seven Days, a curse it is. Watch this film, not. Be damned, you will be. Damned, 7 days you will have left._

Shippou had the nerve to speak. Or at least the funny bone to do so.

"Did Yoda write that down?"

The two older teens turned to eye him wearily.

"Hey, it sure sounds like what he would say."

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

**AN: **And the prologue is done! The fat lady that sung and the pinky-less geezer with a really bad taste in jokes are actually based on my real life bus drivers… okay, it's _loosely _based on them, but they can be close to insanity sometimes. Also, the 'You're so fat' jokes were materials from a friend. Not really sure which ones were hers, but I just wanted to give credit where it was due.

Anyhow, tell me what you think of this Parody. I know the idea's already been done, so you'll notice the little changes here and there when the storyline begins to appear.

Adieu!


	2. Day One: First Hunt

**Ring Away**

Day One: First Hunt

-

"We will be playing _Hunter and Prey_."

No one spoke. Many wanted to giggle and break the hushed silence. But no one dared speaking with Butch watching.

"There will be three groups," Yura continued. "The Prey, the Hunter, and the Human. The Preys will be like rabbits. They will wear these blue bandanas and run like hell."

Butch passed the bandanas to five people. They were all female.

Kagome, one of the preys, mentally grumbled.

_Sexist._

"The Hunters will be like foxes. They will wear these red bandanas and tag the Preys. But the Hunters can tag other Hunters, if they wish," Yura paused. "Sort of like cannibals."

Butch laughed as he passed out ten bandanas. Eight males and two females tied it around their forearms or wrists.

"The Preys are allowed to cooperate with other Preys. Hunters may do the same."

Secretly, among the group, the Preys held hands and the Hunters huddled in a bunch.

"And if you want, just for today, the Preys can ask for the Hunters' hand. However, betrayals are quite common in this game – I warn the meek Preys that this will not be pretty."

Butch held up his hand and stared at his wristwatch, as if counting down.

"All of you will be allowed to roam freely. In the woods, the field, even the cafeteria. No door will be locked, no building is restricted. Speaking is prohibited; however, this rule does not apply to Humans. You all have until six o'clock."

Kagome frowned. It was 2 in the afternoon – they'd be doing this for 4 hours?

"If you are caught, you may be released," Yura clicked her tongue. "It depends on the Humans. Because humans are such fickle beings, you may be 'caged' or immediately… well, whatever humans do to animals. Luckily, because we must abide by the law, we will not be skinning or dismembering you."

Yura's humor was dry and mocking.

"This will teach you all what the victims and bullies feel in their daily lives. Abused, scared, targeted; powerful, special, worthy… This will also teach us what the uncivilized wildlife knows. To live just another day, running away because of the natural food chain," she cleared her throat, signaling Butch.

He pulled out a stopwatch and handed it to Yura.

"In seven minutes, we will be beginning our game."

Kagome turned to her group. Seven minutes was a very short period of time, especially in a time like this. They tried formulating a plan, but to no avail. Only running seemed fit for the occasion.

Yura made it sound like unrestricting the grounds was the best thing for the Preys. But, in fact, it was the Hunters who still held the advantage.

Because there really wasn't anywhere for the Preys to hide now.

True, it'd be taking the Hunters some time to find them all, the campgrounds could rival the largest maze, but they'd find them. The Preys were outnumbered, after all.

"We will be beginning in five minutes," Yura said. "The Preys will be getting a head start – you will be let go in two minutes.

"Wait," one of the Hunters held up his hand. "Who are the Humans?"

It was a very unwise question. The moment he finished asking there was a chilling breeze, pushing along a ball of hay, an oddity passing by.

"What a silly little question," Yura giggled, enjoying the suffocating silence. "Why do you think only Butch is here with me? If it was any other day, I'd have at least five men watching you lot."

_Great._ Kagome grimaced. _I'm going to be manhandled by a douche bag._

She had lost all hope of running or hiding. Actually, she had planned to climb up a tree and stay up there, enjoying the last moments of her life before they dragged her back to reality.

This was now officially worse than death.

"Preys!" Yura shouted. "You may start!"

Kagome stood up.

And ran like hell.

-

-

-

Inuyasha stood still, watching intently.

There it was again.

He growled, baring his teeth. It was growing.

Every time he thought about this situation, about his miserable life, about his anger, he saw it happen.

His cheeks tickled and two odd markings crawled up from the side of his face. His canines… basically formed into real canines.

_Like dogs'. _Inuyasha massaged his temples and breathed in, relaxing his nerves. The markings disappeared along with the canines.

It started just this morning, when he tumbled out of bed, unable to stay calm because of his boiling anxiety. It seemed like what happened yesterday worsened his ungodly animosity…

_No._

Inuyasha was not going to think about that. It was childish and absolutely ridiculous.

Only seven days? Seven days until death?

"Hell," Inuyasha mumbled. "Better than suicide."

A floorboard creaked.

Inuyasha turned around and saw the bathroom door slowly swing open. Still vexed about his appearance, he stepped out and walked onto the carpet. The cabin door was ajar.

"Great," he grumbled.

He closed the door, but the wind pushed it open. Because he wasn't allowed a lock, the old door continued to open every time he tried closing it. After the fourth time he gave up and left the door as it was, until the door closed by itself and then opened back up.

"Oh for the," Inuyasha cursed and jammed his sandal between the door and wall.

He went back into the bathroom, and found that his shower curtain had been closed. It ruffled a little. Very peculiar, and very creepy.

Not that blatant Inuyasha cared.

"What're you doing?" he shouted and pulled open the curtain.

He wasn't expecting a ghost or anything of the sort; but he was definitely not expecting a foot making contact with his groin.

"Get away!" two girls with blue bandanas screeched and pushed him down, using him like a doorstep before running out the bathroom and cabin altogether.

"What the hell," he groaned. "It's MY cabin!"

He crawled out of the bathroom just as the front door exploded open, ricocheting off the wall.

Like a cannon, a pair screamed and thundered into the small area, stumbling into desks and chairs and, inevitably, into Inuyasha.

Newton's First law stated that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Kagome and Shippou was the object and Inuyasha, unfortunately, was the unbalanced force.

Inuyasha fell, two pairs of hands pushing his head down, pinning him on the floor.

"Keep quiet!" Kagome savagely whispered through gritted teeth.

"He'll hear us!" Shippou fiercely murmured, nose flared and eyes wild.

"VATDAHELL?"

"Close the door!" Shippou ordered, and Kagome followed. She got onto her weak knees and desperately forced the door shut. Of course, it didn't work the first time, and try as she might the door did not want to close. "Why! _Why won't you close?_"

"Because my shoe's in the–" Inuyasha yelled before Shippou covered his mouth and slammed his head to the floor.

Kagome kicked his shoe out and closed the door. Strangely it didn't reopen. (Woman's touch.)

"Okay," Shippou gulped. "You promise you won't kill us if I get off?"

"BAIDAHVORDOFHERENHAGHFASTLADEOFHYAMELIKATHEDAAIMUGOHINDOGILLYA!" Inuyasha gurgled.

"What did that mean?" Kagome frowned. "Let go of his mouth."

Shippou did so and was promptly knocked down. Inuyasha sat up and pried his hands loose from under his back.

"I said," his hands found Shippou's neck. "By the words of Helen Hayes, first lady of the American Theatre, _I'm going to kill you!_"

Kagome screamed. "Stop it! You're strangling him!"

"No," he shouted. "_I'm killing him!"_

Kagome jumped on Inuyasha, grabbing his forelock and pulling as hard as possible. "Let go!"

"OW, OW, OW!" Inuyasha loosened his stranglehold but held onto Shippou, who was very much blue at the time. "YOU let go!"

-…7 minutes later…-

The three sat silently in Inuyasha's cabin, all of them sitting as far away from each other as possible.

Inuyasha sat on his bed, cross legged with a very sullen look. His hair looked like a cat's rejected hairball. Shippou sat atop the dresser, looking still very blue and afraid. He also looked a little dazed. Kagome, sitting on the floor, was out of breath, but the most unscarred out of the whole mess.

She broke the pregnant pause.

"We're playing Hunter and Prey," Kagome explained. "I'm the Prey."

"I know," Inuyasha snapped. "Two of them with the blue bandanas were hiding in my bathroom."

"Then why are you so annoyed? You should've known we were coming."

"He skipped class," Shippou cut in. "I'd know; I have all his classes."

"So why were you with her?" Inuyasha glared.

"Well, it went something like this…"

_-Flashback Mode – Shippou Style-_

_Shippou was having the time of his life. He was basking in the sun and drinking coke on a park bench, all the girls on the other side of the lake joshing over his perfect figure, fanning themselves with handkerchiefs pulled out of their Victorian type dresses._

"_I do say," one of them spoke with a southern accent. "He is absolutely adorable, don't you agree my dear?"_

_All of them nodded in unison._

_Then, all of a sudden, a beautiful maiden came out of the clearing, obviously in distress._

"_Oh I say, I say!" Kagome said. "Shippou, my good sir, oh could you please help me find a shelter in which I can hide? Oh, my hero!"_

"_What is it that's distressing you so?" Shippou, the good sir, inquired._

"_It's the wicked demon! Oh save me, before it's too late!"_

"_Hush now, young maiden! Get behind that hut and I'll cover you as such!"_

"_My good sir! My hero!" she said as she shuffled towards the hiding spot._

_No sooner had she hid an old brute with hideous stench and character came forth. His gaze was deathly but nothing compared to Shippou's righteous pose._

"_You, young one," his voice alone shook the trees. "Did you see a young maiden with a blue marking? I've come to steal her away to my domain!"_

"_I saw nothing!" Shippou stood proudly. "And if I did, I wouldn't even bother telling such a 'looker' as you yourself!"_

"_You flibbertigibbet!" the brute took out an abnormally long fencing sword. "I do challenge you to a duel to the **death**!"_

"_I do say I **accept**!"_

_The duel was long and harsh, many illegal moves were used solely by the brute, but Shippou was justly and a true gentleman to the end. However, the cheat used his trickery and deceived Shippou. In one of their many binding moments, the brute kicked Shippou down and swiped his sword away._

"_I do say you are **defeated**!"_

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

_-Shippou Styled Flashback Ends-_

"And then I ran like hell," Shippou ended.

"And of course, being the southern damsel in distress I followed the gentleman until both of us ended up in your cabin," Kagome shook her head. "Why did I have a Southern American accent? I'm _Japanese_."

"Well, I was really threatened!" Shippou muttered. "That brute, Butch, even tried to beat me up!"

"I guess in the game he's allowed to do that," Inuyasha coughed. "Though I don't think bullies usually threaten you with a duel."

The two boys fell off the dresser and bed, respectively, when Kagome shrieked, her most deafening cry of sheer terror yet.

"_The wall!"_

The three watched as a steady drip of water slithered down the wall, just above the door. It stopped after the water seeped and dried, forming a very distinct symbol.

**1**

"Oh great!" Inuyasha complained. "I just fixed the leak!"

"It's beginning!" Shippou squeaked. "It's day one! Day one! We'll die in seven days, that's what the video said!"

"Forget the video," Kagome cried from the window. "The Hunters are coming!"

-

-

-

A yellow 2005 Lotus Elise pulled up in front of the gates, the questionable rap music turned off as it did so.

Miroku Preston got out of his car with a leather suitcase in hand. Attired in a snappy business suit, and affixed with a Rolex wristwatch, he was more out of place than a clown in a Spanish church.

"Kamishima Camp," he muttered as he examined the steel gates. A sly smile played about his lips.

Sango Shirohama was busy reorganizing the boxes in the detention center, a space used as the main office. Green and pink papers overlaid the tiled floor and textbooks thronged the tabletops.

_It's because of that stupid package._ Sango pulled out another box from the shelf and shuffled through the content. That stupid package was also a very important piece of finery. The files claimed it had been sent seven days ago, but the receiver called in and stated they had never accepted any packages.

And the fine for losing that one package was hefty – nearly up to 5 digits, actually.

But the camp didn't plan to pay the fine.

They were blaming it on her, poor little Sango, the one who was responsible for all the incoming deliveries.

"Aw hell," she snapped and threw the box to the side. Getting to her numbed legs, she didn't expect to meet two indigo eyes.

"Hello there," the man bowed a little, never breaking eye contact. He was a handsome fellow, she noted, but she had her dignity.

"Oh," she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry; you're a little early…"

Miroku watched her consciously tug at the hem of her sleeve. She knew her hair was askew, but the nearest bathroom was two floors above.

"The folders are a little…disorganized at the moment. But I have the specific case file."

Miroku graciously nodded as Sango searched through what littered the surface of the workbench.

"I suppose caseworkers don't usually come 30 minutes early," Miroku leaned on the opposite wall, making small talk. He observed the girl push the unwanted garbage off the desk.

"No. They're usually an hour late," she smiled, though keeping her head down. She knew the caseworker was watching her every move, and it was beginning to unnerve her.

Mr. Preston laughed; a genuine, hearty gesture. "I was expecting some traffic, but it was…"

"Strangely deserted?" Sango ended. "It's like this all year round. Here's her folder."

"Thank you, Miss…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

Sango's left eye twitched. A very obvious way to get a girl's name. Well, she wasn't going to make it easy for this guy.

"Just an officer from the junior-councilor's committee," she smiled sincerely. "I'm sure your reports won't ask for specific names."

Miroku was amused and chuckled inwardly. If she was going for appropriateness… "But if I was to know for my own personal reasons?"

Whoa. That was straightforward. "Oh?" Sango, a bit thrown off, tried to recompose. "I suppose."

"Please."

"It's…Shirohama. Sango Shirohama," Sango smile became tight and thin. Defeat was not a pretty thing.

"It was nice to meet you, Ms. Shirohama," he nodded and prepared to leave. However, he stayed put, as if engraving his charming smile into her memory, unwanted or not.

The moment the door closed behind him, Sango gave a long, lasting sigh, aggravated and contempt.

"Dang it," she whispered as she sat back down on the floor. What was more annoying than the image of his self-confident smile was something she realized moments later.

She didn't get his name.

-

-

-

"We need to split up!"

Shippou held his head. "That's the dumbest thing you could possibly do! Don't you watch horror movies? It's easier for the enemy to pick us off, one by one…"

"But if we stick together they'll definitely find us. A pack makes more noises than loners," Inuyasha blinked. "Wait, why am I helping? I should've just stayed in my cabin… I'm not even playing."

"They would've thrown you in the detention center if they found you," Kagome spoke. "C'mon, let's think of–"

"They're here!" someone screamed from the dirt path.

One question; if you screamed before you jumped a rabbit, would it run?

Hell yeah.

As if on a silent agreement, Shippou, Kagome, and Inuyasha ran in separate directions.

Because Kagome was a Prey, because Shippou was deathly afraid of Butch, and because Inuyasha feared the detention center, they ran away without hesitation.

Kagome rushed into the woods, hearing two pairs of feet follow her into the dense woodland. In an incredible burst of speed she dashed past fallen branches and trees, scratching her knees and arms as she got through a particularly spiky bush.

She came to an immediate halt when she found herself in front of two fallen trees mounted on top of each other. She couldn't go around it… there were more bushes blocking her way. And she'd have to backtrack nearly ten meters – something she didn't have time to do. She couldn't climb over it either; it was too wet with dew and there weren't enough barks to grab hold. Not must space to crawl under… she'd have to go between the two trees.

Kagome, thanking the stars she wasn't chubby, squeezed through the trees, head and shoulders first, and pushed forward, kicking off the ground and forcing her abdomen past the rough surface, and then tumbling down to the grassy surface. Her elbows stung, she was sure they were scraped, but that didn't matter.

She got back on her feet and ran.

"Damn!" a Hunter cried. Being male, he must've gotten stuck through the two trees.

She had made a daring choice, and it worked to her advantage.

Kagome jumped over a large puddle and slipped on the wet leaves, getting on her hands and knees. Undaunted, she crawled and then got back on her feet. Too bad she didn't see the seven set of branches lining the ground.

"AH!" her blood-curdling scream somehow echoed in the forest, scaring a handful of crows out of their slumber. Her hands saved her upper half of the body, but her wrists were grazed and her legs smarted more than ever.

Kagome gave in. She got up and stepped away from the branches, examining her arms and legs. There were dozens of nicks and scratches, the longest one traveling from down her left kneecap to her ankle.

She traced her wounds with her eyes. It was amazing how humans could get so desperate as to momentarily forget pain. Now that she was still, her bodies ache and blood was more noticeable.

…frankly, she didn't care.

Where were the Hunters? She couldn't have lost them – they were right behind her. Not to mention her scream…even she found it unbearable.

She jumped when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey," Inuyasha said. "There you are. C'mon, Shippou's up in tree."

Kagome turned. "Literally?"

"What do you think?" he frowned and walked away. She followed him, slowly but stably.

The two found themselves below a slanted tree, supported by another tree that also acted as a stepping stool. It was perfect. A little ways from the buildings and shielded by thickets and groves.

"Are we all here?" Shippou stuck his head out from the peak of the tree.

"Yeah," Inuyasha shouted. "We can show her."

"Show me what?"

Inuyasha turned to her and frowned. Then he rolled his eyes, shaking his head to a naïve child.

Kagome fumed. "What, I'm supposed to read your mind or something?"

"You talk too much," he growled and walked away.

Shippou jumped out of the tree and found Kagome in a very cruddy move. She ignored him and followed Inuyasha, trying to bore a hole through the back of his head. Shippou stayed away. Far away.

The three traveled down a gentle slope, cleared of all trees and bushes. The clearing looked like it had imploded a long time ago, the ground sunken in a few feet. Grass still grew on the ground, but in the center a very out of place shack stood proudly and stubbornly. It looked very decrepit and dilapidated, moss growing on the roof and shutters barely clinging onto the walls.

"What's this?"

"Just shut up," Inuyasha said and continued into the shack.

Kagome shook, her hands balled into fists. Who did he think she was? Treating her like some stupid little kid!

She stepped into the shack. The inside was worse than the exterior. Vines hung from the ceilings and walls, not to mention…

"Stalactites?" Kagome stared. "That's not right… this isn't a cave."

"The phone's working alright," Inuyasha ignored her and picked up the phone from the other side of the shack.

"Weird, right?" Shippou came in. "An abandoned shack with vines and moss everywhere… but with a working phone and an outlet to boot. Not to mention the TV."

Kagome turned to what Shippou pointed. It was a plasma TV, and it looked well taken care of.

"Someone lives here?"

"Someone did," Inuyasha corrected. "When we came here the TV was still on. They bolted… and look at this."

Kagome involuntarily stepped back when he held up the accursed videotape. "What… we left that in the other cabin!"

"Yeah, well, someone found it and brought it back with them. I don't know if they watched it; it was on the floor."

"Or if they did something with it…"

Inuyasha and Kagome turned as Shippou crouched in front of something. He stood back up and turned, holding a video recorder in his hands.

"You think they made the video?"

"Well, if it has an origin," Inuyasha smirked. "Then it can't be cursed. It's not like a ghost is sealed inside it or anything."

Shippou scoffed. "Dude, look at this place! It's creepy and… what're you doing?"

Inuyasha pushed the videotape into the VCR and pressed the Play button. "What? I just want to see if they added anything."

"Do you want to be cursed again?"

"You think I'll die two times in a row? Think of it this way; two negatives make a positive, right?"

"And do two rights make a left?"

"No."

The three kiddies uttered a cry of surprise when an intimidating figure walked into the shack. With a braided ponytail, the committee officer stared the three campers down.

"What are you three doing here?"

"We're–" Shippou started, but a loud cackle drowned him out.

Someone had altered the video – and now it was more violent.

Sango walked over to the TV. "So this was the priceless package," however, because she was fascinated by the pictures, she didn't reach for the VCR.

Primarily because a hand reached out of the TV.

"Whoa!" Inuyasha and Sango, both sitting inches away from the TV, dodged the hand and drew back. The fingers of the three dimensional hand curled, trying to lure them closer.

"That…" Shippou's voice died.

Kagome shook her head as the picture changed. A puddle splashed in the background before the image faded to white and two black orbs appeared.

"That didn't happen," she said. "It's impossible. It's just a box…"

"Turn it off!"

Inuyasha dived for the VCR…

Only to be slapped silly by the TV hand.

"Oh jeez!" Inuyasha tumbled back. "That hand can really smack!"

"Isn't there a remote?"

"The hand's holding it."

"Oh," they watched the hand wave the remote around, using it as a weapon to frighten the inhabitants of the shack.

The moment the videocassette reached 7 minutes, the hand threw the remote at Shippou and retracted back into the TV.

"Ouch…" Shippou whined, rubbing his forehead. "Why'd it throw it at me?"

"Very interesting."

Four sets of eyes fell on the man standing before the doorway.

"Unusually entertaining," he applauded and observed the occupants. "Didn't anyone else think so?"

Then the phone rang.

"Don't answer that!" Kagome yelled. "It's her!"

Sango stood up, but stayed still. She was more or less shell shocked after seeing that TV hand.

"Kagome Higurashi?" the unnamed man blinked. "Oh, so there you are. You're on my caseload, you know?"

"Wait, I got it!" Inuyasha said and struggled to the phone. "I'll hit the speaker button."

"Speaker button…?"

Inuyasha knocked the receiver over, and, suddenly, the static from the phone was loud and clear.

There was labored breathing on the other end, and a female murmured something incoherent.

"How'd you make the hand stick out of the screen?" Inuyasha, who had stayed a nonbeliever throughout the day, was curious. He didn't want to believe that this was all real. He also didn't want to believe that he was wrong.

"_A trick," _she spoke. "_A simple trick of the mind."_

"You're saying it was an illusion? What kind of an illusion whack people silly?"

"_The two new occupants,"_ her voice trembled. "_Seven–"_

"No, not seven!" Shippou shouted. "Unless it's seventy years, I'm not going to listen."

"We're already cursed," Kagome said. "It'd only count for them," she pointed to the committee officer and her caseworker.

"No fair!"

"_Seven–"_

"You know who you should call?" Inuyasha yelled. "One eight-hundred, six three zero, SCREW–YOU!"

"What if it's a different area code?" Kagome interjected. "And shouldn't the numbers only have three and four digits? 'Screw you' has like…" Kagome counted off on her fingers.

"Fine!" he growled. "Go to the web and email SCREW at YOU dot com!"

"…"

Shippou tapped his chin. "Maybe that was too harsh."

"_Seven–"_

Inuyasha wasn't done either. "You're so smelly you turn Right Guard left!"

"What's right guard?" Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"Oh c'mon, it's a deodorant. Don't you use one?" Inuyasha held his nose in mock disgust.

"Hey," Sango held her hand up, finally speaking. "We Asian woman don't get body hair as much as you. We also don't need to shave or use deodorant… at least not as much as you."

"_SEVEN–"_ the voice was annoyed. So was Inuyasha.

"You're so fat, when you get on a scale it says 'One person at a time, please!'"

"Oh not this again," Shippou grumbled as the caseworker laughed.

"_SEVEN–"_

"You're so fat when you go outside in a yellow dress, especially at night, they all scream, 'The sun's coming out!'"

"_SEVEN–"_

"Crap!" Inuyasha snapped his fingers. "I don't have anymore materials left."

The voice took advantage. "_SEVEN–"_

"So what?" Shippou screamed. "We have the energy of a tiger and the immaturity of a chimp! Let's go!"

"Sí!" Kagome said in Spanish and zoomed out of the shack, following Shippou out the door and into the clearing.

Inuyasha, getting the gist of it, did the same.

"C'mon!" he said to the two remaining onlookers. "If you don't hear it then you won't be cursed."

Miroku, having nothing better to do, and Sango, now a true believer, jolted out of the shack and towards the two breathless teens and one preteen.

"We should've done this before!" Shippou said. "_We're_ still cursed!"

"Actually," the caseworker commented. "I think we're all cursed now."

The five stopped and watched an odd formation on the grass. The grass parted to make the number **7**.

Miroku stepped back and scanned the grass continuing to form the letters D-A-Y-S.

**7 DAYS**

"Aw dang it," Shippou groaned. "And I thought we outsmarted her."

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

**AN: **No one can outsmart the accursed one, my dear Shippou. No one can.

Anyhow, more 'You're so fat' jokes in this chapter. But now the whole gang's cursed! Whatever shall happen to the five? Oh the questions, questions…

Next chapter – Day Two! (Can't think of a title now… probably _Second Prey_ or something…)

Adieu and a Happy New Year to all!


End file.
